Thousands of people took to the streets this Saturday in Valencia to demand the right to housing. The protest in the Valencian capital unites the defense of the territory and cries out against touristification, elements linked to the right to decent housing.
Late in the afternoon a group of people started camping in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. During the night there are just over a hundred protesters with tents, who have received the support of left-wing leaders. Their motto is “if we don’t have a house, we will occupy the square.”
Neighborhood groups, neighborhood associations and unions have been the main mobilizing agent of one of the most massive protests remembered in the city in years. Under the motto “Valencia is not for sale”, residents demand to be able to live in a city that has made renting a luxury.
The protest demands, in essence, “that the homes be for the neighbors.” No more new construction, no tourist apartments, but putting the properties at the service of citizens. “We demand to declare Valencia a stressed city for rentals and tourism, prohibit tourist rentals, protect the garden and stop evictions,” explains the group known as La Mataobras. From 2015 to the present, rental prices have risen 115% and purchase prices are close to the highest levels recorded before the real estate bubble burst. “València is saturated, it is drowning and needs a drastic and complete change of vision and model of the city,” defend the organizers.
Shouting “València s’ofega (Valencia is drowning)”, the march has cried out against the urban planning measures of the Valencian PP and, in turn, protesters demanded the resignation of the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, whom they accuse of inaction. The protesters have toured the historic center of the city, especially saturated, and the most touristy areas, to directly express their rejection to tourists.
The demonstration, which began in the Serranos Towers and ended in the Town Hall square after more than two hours, was full of references against the rentiers, such as ‘Foc, foc, foc a l’especulació’ -‘ Fire, fire, fire, to speculation’ – ‘Being a homemaker is not a profession’, ‘Tourist go home’ – ‘Tourists, gone home’ – or ‘Un turista més, una veïna menys’ – ‘One more tourist, one less neighbor’ -. The organization points to a call of more than 50,000 people, a tide that has packed the city center to demand its recovery.
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